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Balin
Balin was a dwarf leader, the son of Fundin and elder brother of Dwalin. He was well known for being one of the thirteen dwarves who went on the quest to regain the lost kingdom of the Lonely Mountain or Erebor, and the dwarf who sought to resettle Moria a few decades before the War of the Ring. History Early Life Balin may have been born in Lonely Mountain before the coming of Smaug the dragon. He had been one of Thorin's companions on the day the Dragon came. Afterwards he may have lived in Dunland as a refugee. He fought in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. Many years later, approximately TA 2841, he accompanied Thráin II (the father of Thorin II Oakenshield) when he attempted to go back to the Lonely Mountain himself but he was captured and lost. Unsuccessful in their search for him, Balin and the others went back to live with Thorin in the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin). The Quest of Erebor Balin was part of the company assembled by Thorin Oakenshield that traveled to Lonely Mountain with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf, to defeat the dragon Smaug and retake the mountain kingdom of Erebor. He was the second dwarf to arrive at Bilbo's house at the beginning of The Hobbit. The one before him was his brother Dwalin and like him he played a fiddle. Among the dwarves in The Hobbit, Balin was the second-eldest dwarf on the quest (behind Thorin), and loosely held the position of deputy leader. He led the dwarves in the escape from the spiders, and spoke for the party when the Elvenking captured them. He is described as "always their look-out man": He spots Bilbo approaching The Green Dragon Inn at Bywater, he spots the trolls' fire, and he's the first to spot the elves in Mirkwood. He noted that not even a mouse had ever passed him on watch. Conversely he did not notice Bilbo (hidden by wearing the magic ring) as lookout for the company after escaping the goblins in the Misty Mountains. After this bit of trickery, Balin gained respect for Bilbo's abilities and was the only dwarf that volunteered to accompany Bilbo down the secret passage to Smaug's chamber. Of all the dwarves in the quest, Balin was the only one known to have visited Bilbo at Bag End after their experiences on the quest for the Lonely Mountains. Moria Expedition and Death In TA 2989, Balin left Lonely Mountain and entered Moria with Flói, Óin, Ori, Frár, Lóni, Náli and others intending to establish a colony and reestablish the ancient kingdom, but the Balrog known as Durin's Bane had not left the place. Their small group was overrun by Goblins and wiped out. Balin himself was killed by a Goblin archer in the Dimrill Dale in 2994, ambushed while pacing through a hall regarding his dead friends. The tragic fate of Balin's colony remained a complete mystery to all Middle Earth until the arrival of the Fellowship of the Ring. In The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship discovers his tomb in the Chamber of Mazarbul. His tombstone refers to the late Balin as "Lord of Moria". Behind the Scenes Balin's name is Old Norse in form, but its meaning is obscure. Portrayal in Adaptations Films In the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit, Balin was voiced by Don Messick. In Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation he will be portrayed by Scottish actor Ken Stott. The studio released the following statement about Stott's Balin in the upcoming trilogy: A descendant of nobility and a Dwarf Lord in his own right, Balin is one of the oldest members of The Company of Dwarves. Wise and gentle by nature, he has been forced to live a life fraught with war and the ongoing struggle for survival. Related to Thorin Oakenshield, Balin is one of his closest, most trusted advisers – but deep in his heart, this wisest and most loyal of Dwarves harbors troubling doubts about the wisdom of the Quest for the Lonely Mountain. Family tree Balin.jpg|Balin during The Hobbit H-1-0236-balin.jpg|Balin in the animated version of "The Hobbit" Farin | ----------------------- | | Gróin Fundin | | ---------------- ----------------- | | | | | | | | Óin Glóin Balin Dwalin | | Gimli (Elf-friend) References *The Hobbit *The Complete Guide to Middle-earth *Unfinished Tales: The Quest of Erebor External link * de:Balin nl:Balin pl:Balin ru:Балин Category:Dwarves Category:Thorin and Company Category:The Hobbit Characters Category:Deaths in Battle Category:The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film) Characters Category:Characters that have appeared in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings